Safran Nacelles is one of the main integrators of aircraft engine nacelle systems in the world. On the long-range commercial aircraft market, Safran Nacelles is the partner of the main aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing. On the Airbus A380, the nacelle systems designed by Safran Nacelles - the first in the world to be equipped with an electrically-actuated thrust reverser - are a technological reference

Airbus A380 Nacelle Systems

French Frogs Airslides

Safran Nacelles nacelle systems equip the Airbus A380 powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines or four Engine Alliance GP7200 engines. Market benchmarks, they are the first in the world to have a thrust reverser with an Electric Thrust Reverser Actuation System (ETRAS®).

The choice of Safran Nacelles as sole nacelle systems integrator for the Airbus A380 underlines its vast experience in this field. The A380 nacelle system is one of the largest ever developed for a commercial aircraft and represents a world first in several respects: its cascade thrust reverser is the first to have an Electric Thrust Reverser Actuation System (ETRAS®), its acoustic nozzle is of a titanium alloy based design, the proportion of composite materials used is the highest on the market and it is also the quietest. The cascade thrust reverser notably integrates a Double Degree Of Freedom (DDOF) acoustic treatment entirely made of composite materials specifically developed by Safran Nacelles. Reduced weight, reduced noise footprint, increased reliability of propulsion system service life: Safran Nacelles' high tech expertise is 100% at the service of the largest aircraft of the 21st century

The Airbus A380 came into service in October 2007.

An Electrically-Controlled Thrust Reverser: ETRAS®

Philippe Stroppa / Safran

The ETRAS® (Electric Thrust Reverser Actuation System) replaces the former generation of thrust reverser hydraulically-controlled systems and offers the following advantages: simplified design, reduced weight, improved safety, simplified maintenance and the elimination of corrosive hydraulic liquids. Moreover, the ETRAS® is equipped with electric motors and actuators which require less maintenance than the hydraulic systems present on the traditional thrust reversers.

The configuration of the thrust reverser for the A380 nacelle systems, composed of a two-piece composite D-duct, is one of the two configurations which currently benefit from an electrical actuation system, the second one being the nacelle systems one-piece composite O-duct thrust reverser on the Comac C919.